Let me start out by making the disclaimer that these are my own personal recommendations for all serious downwind paddlers. They are given after over 30 years experience at and in the sea. They have served me well over the years and I hope that they continue to keep me safe at sea.

I strongly recommend that you read and adopt these safety recommendations so that we prevent any unnecessary incidents and fatalities at sea. The sea can be a very dangerous and unpredictable place so it is extremely important that we all adopt good safety procedures out there. I believe that we should also make a good attempt to self-regulate ourselves. Authorities usually regulate things after an incident has occurred. If we prevent the incidents we will probably prevent the regulations.

Most of these recommendations apply to all inshore/offshore paddles but some only apply to what I call Bluewater paddles (beyond 2 nautical miles, or 3.7km out to sea). Use your judgement to know which ones you should apply.

Always expect the unexpected, so plan for things to go wrong.

Always have the utmost respect for the sea. Be disrespectful of it and it will hit you hard.

Here is some safety equipment that I highly recommend that everyone should use:

• Leg Ropes – Always use a good legrope/leash. This should apply in light conditions, too, as the wind can always pick up out there unexpectedly. If you fall off in a strong wind and get separated from your board you will probably not be able to catch it. Don’t attach important safety equipment to your board as if your legrope breaks and you lose your board you will also lose the safety gear.

• Always paddle with a Paddle Buddy - just like scuba divers dive with dive buddies. Your paddle buddy could be another stand up, outrigger, ski paddler or paddleboard, so long as you always stick together. Always be aware of where your paddle buddy is and stay within a few 100m of each other at all times. The only time you might consider not doing this is if you have a boat/jet ski with you or if you are doing a paddle that is close to shore. The distance from the shore should not exceed what you can comfortably swim to with all of your safety gear on.

• Visibility – Make as much of your equipment as highly visible as possible so that your fellow paddlers and rescuers can easily see you. It is better to use Day-Glo orange/yellow colours at sea. The sea is Blue/Green and the whitecaps are white so avoid these colours as you don’t want to camouflage yourself. Also avoid black.

• Make the back of your Paddle Blade as brightly coloured as possible. I recommend Day-Glo orange. You can then use your paddle to attract attention by waving it above your head. When any paddler gets too far ahead of the other (about 100m) the front paddler should slow down or stop and wait. A good technique in big seas is for the front paddler to kneel down with the paddle upright. The orange paddle blade should face the lagging paddler for extra visibility (but it also doubles up as a mini sail, which is handy).

• Make your Board as brightly coloured as possible. I use Day-Glo orange on my board with a black “V Sheet” sprayed on the bottom deck. The V Sheet can be used as a distress signal for a plane or chopper. Note: A V Sheet is compulsory in QLD for all boats in and beyond partially smooth waters (see below for definitions of these waters)

• Clothing should also be bright, especially your hat (as it is the highest and most visible piece of clothing – again avoid blue, green, black and white. Reflective tape is also not a bad idea to use.

• Backpack - You should have a brightly coloured backpack that can store all of your safety equipment and also your fluids. If you don’t like the back pack type get yourself the bum bag type. The back pack is better, in my opinion, as it is big enough to store all of your safety equipment.

• Fluids – You need at least 0.5-1.0 litres of fluids per hour, preferably with electrolytes. A 3 litre backpack bladder should last you 3-6 hours of paddling, depending on your requirements and the conditions. Make sure you have more than enough fluids to account for longer than expected paddles.

• PFD – Many open water races are starting to make these compulsory so it is probably a good idea to start getting used to having these. Note: A PFD Type 1 is compulsory in QLD for all boats in and beyond smooth and partially smooth waters (see below for definitions of these waters). These need to have sufficient flotation to support the body and head. The flotation collar keeps the head above water.

• Mobile Phones – It is a good idea for each paddler to carry a mobile phone. You can get good waterproof pouches these days.

• Marine Radios - You may also want to consider also having at least 1 Marine radio with you. If you intend to be anywhere near any ships (ie crossing a shipping channel) then you should always carry a Marine Radio. VHF is the preferred radio type for short range communications. Maritime Safety Queensland and volunteer rescue stations monitor VHF Channel 16 along the majority of the Queensland coast on a 24/7 basis and are able to act in case of emergency. All large vessels and an increasing number of smaller boats monitor Channel 16. Weather information is regularly broadcast on Channel 67. Channel 16 is for emergencies or initial calls and should not be used for routine messages or chat. The distress call 'Mayday' may be used only if you are threatened by grave and imminent danger and immediate assistance is required. This distress call has absolute priority over all other. Use the call procedure “Mayday Mayday Mayday…” when in distress. The urgency call “Pan Pan” should be used when you cannot justify use of the distress call but have a very urgent message to transmit concerning your safety. Use the call procedure “Pan Pan Pan Pan Pan Pan …” when making an urgency call.

• EPIRB - If you travel more than 2 nautical miles (3.7km) offshore, when beyond smooth and partially smooth waters, you must carry an Emergency Position Indicating Radio Beacon (EPIRB). Always attach an EPIRB to your body (never the board). I recommend the 406 MHz beacons which have an encoded (GPS) location. Locating a distress site is usually much faster if the beacon signal provides a GPS location. You must register your 406 MHz beacon with the Australian Maritime Safety Authority. AMSA must also be advised of any change to ownership and boat details. Registration is easy and free and can result in a more efficient search and rescue effort.

• Flares – As DW paddles are usually done in stronger winds orange smoke flares are not recommended. It is better to have Red hand or parachute flares. In my opinion a good option is the “Miniflare 3 kit” which has 8 red rocket flares contained in a compact, rugged and water resistant pouch. These are only to be used in a distress situation. Always attach your flares to your body (never the board).

• Medical Kit – This is a must have item. My kit includes a tourniquet, trauma packs, bandages, a safety blanket, gloves, stingose, pain killers and anti histamine pills.

• Tool kit – This contained a few important tools that could come in handy out to sea, especially duck tape. It is also good to have something like a Swiss army knife that has multiple functions.

• Whistle – This is not necessary but is a good extra piece of safety equipment to have with you.

• Torch - This is not necessary but is a good extra piece of safety equipment to have with you (especially if you get caught out after dark). I carry one that does not use any batteries - it operates by turning a small handle.

• Reflective Mirror - This is not necessary but is a good extra piece of safety equipment to have with you. If you have one it is good to know your SOS signal (… _ _ _ …)

• Sun Protection – A good wide brimmed hat is a very good idea to have out there. Use a very high SPF rated sun cream or zinc on all exposed parts, especially the tops of your feet and face. I recommend using long leg and long arm compression garments as these are also good for sun protection.


Some definitions:

Smooth and Partially Smooth waters include rivers, creeks, streams and lakes, waters within breakwaters or revetments and within 0.5 nautical mile (930m) from land within partially smooth water limits